What has Elton John got to do with the Olympics?

Sacrifice! The title to one of his greatest hits is also one of the most used words in the post competition interviews given by athletes in Team GB (and possibly others).  I am a huge fan of the Olympics; whether it is the greatest show on earth is debateable, for me that is, and here comes an affront to my masculinity, Les Miserables (stage rather than cinematic production).  I do feel however that there is an over-emphasis placed on the level of sacrifice that athletes make in order to achieve their goals and an under representation of the opportunities they have been able to access that have allowed them to compete on the world stage.  The level of effort and hard work they commit to their event is admirable and I certainly do not wish to underplay the achievement of getting to the Olympics, rather frame that against the opportunities that have allowed them to be there.

Since the inception of the National Lottery there has been a significant level of funding given over to performance sport.  Although this funding is still insufficient according to some, it has allowed sports to establish performance programmes that give selected athletes access full time training, skilled coaches, expert medics and dedicated practitioners committed to helping them get improve their performance.  Whilst there is certainly a degree of sacrifice involved in committing to a performance programme, for example moving home to be closer to a central training base or postponing other career ambitions, access to this type of support represents a significant opportunity.  Such opportunities are evident long before the point at which an athlete’s skills are recognised by their national governing body.  In order to get to the level where you might be considered for a performance programme there has likely been numerous opportunities presented to you.  Firstly, being born into the type of family willing to expose you to sport and support a range of activities to find out which you enjoy (and excel at) the most.  Secondly, an educational environment that allows you to pursue sporting ambitions, especially when this involves extensive travel and training at unsociable times.  These are all significant opportunities that, unfortunately, do not exist for most people.  How many people reading this post for example have had the opportunity in their formative years to try their hand at fencing, sailing or equestrian?

Sacrifice I appreciate is a subjective construct and one that many people will feel applies to them.  Most of us will at some point make a sacrifice for one reason or another; whether other people see that as being significant or not is open to debate.  Some sacrifice seeing their family in order to pursue a career, others sacrifice a pursuit that some might see as being detrimental in the first place, drinking, smoking, gambling, in order to live a happier and healthier life.  In the most noble circumstances, parents sacrifice their own ambitions and free time to ensure their family enjoy a roof over their heads and food on the table.  Sacrifice is all around us, often as a result of circumstances much more important (and I accept this is relative as well) than competing or medalling at the Olympics.

Those of us lucky enough to work in sport, be that as an athlete or member of the support network, have had numerous opportunities presented to us or that we have sought out ourselves in order to pursue that goal.  For me this is a much more positive message to proffer than that of sacrifice.  Perhaps events such as the Olympics are a time to reflect on the opportunities we have been given rather than those which we have missed.